Kingmaker
by Jaconda
Summary: A mad king, an ancient weapon and a world on the edge of revolution stand in the way of the Master and his plans for the universe.
1. Chapter 1

_Author Note: Although it stands alone, this story follows on from The Other Side of the Coin_

Kingmaker 

"Do you know, Chancellor, that this is the year of my ascension? That within this next annual cycle I shall become a god?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"That I shall hold the power of life and death over all of you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

There was a long pause, a drumming of well-manicured fingers. "Not that I don't have the power of life and death already. But this will be much more direct. No more going through those tedious legal procedures. I shall simply snap my fingers and you will be so much dust. Wonderful, isn't it?"

King Peron, son of gods, and ninety-third of his line looked down at his Chancellor. Her attention was focussed on reading the farming legislation that had to be passed through Council within the next few weeks if it was going to make any difference to the year's harvest. He stared at her, eyes narrowing, before slamming his hand into the papers and then scattering them with one quick movement.

His voice, on the other hand, was quite mild. "I don't think that you are giving your sovereign lord the attention that he is due."

The Chancellor stood and bowed. There'd be no point trying to work now; he'd take pleasure in disrupting whatever she tried to do. "Majesty, how may I be of service?"

Peron clapped his hands, smile springing to his face. "Much better. Much, much better. Now, Casta, I've been hearing some very disturbing things concerning my impending godhood. For one, the construction workers at my temple have refused to continue working."

Casta nodded. "They haven't been paid, Majesty."

"Paid!" spat Peron. "The impudence! They are honoured to be allowed to participate in such great works. What does money matter when they work towards their spiritual salvation?"

"Their families need to eat, and so do they. I did divert money from the treasury, but Your Majesty thought that-"

"-I hope, Chancellor, that you are not presuming to suggest I made a mistake."

Casta gave a quick bow. "Of course not, Majesty, but the people are hungry. They must eat."

"It simply can't be done," said Peron airily. "Their spirits will be full soon enough. But the Guard still haven't found the other artefact. And the people cannot think of their bellies when their lord's godhood is at stake. No, no, they shall starve. And they shall build. Or..." He stopped, spun and was suddenly perfectly delighted. "No god of our pantheon condemns cannibalism, do they, Casta? Ah, am I not brilliant! Am I not! I shall send orders at once!"

He ran from the room like a child with a new toy, cradling his idea inside his head. Casta swallowed, sat back down and tried to work on the farming initiative.

** -+-+-**

Leto believed that she was dreaming.

She was at the hospital, not the one that the Family Tyerana had bombed, but one of the capital's hospitals that had managed to keep going even through the rioting. She was looking into one of the isowards. A private one, with a single patient.

The poison was in the air now, spreading across the planet, but the hospital would be safe for a little while longer. It had a separate air supply for just such an epidemic, but with no outside support it would soon run out.

She felt the doctor leave her, let her enter the ward alone. The patient was so very young: a girl no older than six with pale blonde hair and sickly white skin. Leto stroked the hair back from her forehead, sensing her soft sleeping thoughts. She wasn't in any pain.

There was a rustle behind her and she glanced over her shoulder. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry, Senator."

Leto closed her eyes. "What about her father?"

"Even if he could be persuaded to leave the front, the general is too far away to return to the capital before..."

"Then leave me alone."

The dream shattered at an approaching storm and Leto woke to the sound of thunder. Or some demonic orchestra.

She leapt to her feet, quite awake and stared in disbelief at the thin metal column materialising in her cell. A door in its side swung open.

Cautiously, Leto approached, not quite daring to believe that he had come back for her; thinking that this was just another layer of dreams keeping her submerged from consciousness. In that case, it didn't matter what she did. She stopped worrying and stepped inside the TARDIS.

"You'd better go to the medical unit, that gunshot wound could take weeks to heal using Earth medicine." The Master stood by the console, impeccably dressed in black and wholly composed.

"I thought you had left Earth."

"Only very briefly. There seemed little benefit in leaving you to UNIT's tender mercies. I'm well aware of what a bore it can be to be locked up by them."

She said the only thing that she could think of: "Thank you."

"Not at all, my dear. Now, please, go and do something about that arm."

** -+-+-**

"It detects delta particles," the Doctor said, picking up the unit and striding into the TARDIS. "I admit it was a long shot, but now I've got a lock on the Master's TARDIS, I can't afford to lose it."

Jo took a last gulp of tea and put the empty cup in the sink. "Right, so now you know where and when the Master's going."

"That's right."

She followed him into the TARDIS, folding her arms as he set the co-ordinates. "The Brigadier's not going to be very happy, you know. Aren't you even going to tell him how Leto escaped?"

"I will. When we get back. But that artefact's far more important." The Doctor placed his hands on the console, over the telepathic circuits.

"Are you going to tell the Time Lords' it's something he's stolen from them?"

"Quiet, Jo. I have to concentrate." He closed his eyes, frowning slightly and for a moment, Jo was worried.

Then it was over. The doors shut and the TARDIS dematerialised, and it felt no different to any other trip she'd taken in it. "We're on our way?"

"We are indeed. And to answer your question, no, I didn't. The Time Lords have a bad habit of leaving some of their oldest and most dangerous creations lying around the cosmos. I'd rather not remind them about the things they've lost."

"Why ever not?"

He gave her a grim look. "Because then they might go looking for them."

** -+-+-**

"Formal bow when greeting a social superior. Short bow on departure. Always let them decide when the conversation is over."

"Dinner?"

"Drinks from left to right. One between each course. Always sip. I have to take one injection every four hours to disperse the poison." It was, Leto thought, a very paranoid world that had its nobles consume a variety of poison with every meal from childhood onwards to build up a tolerance.

"Very good." The Master nodded, satisfied. "Now the sanity of the current monarch is questionable at best, which is to our advantage. He's taken quite an interest in the old prophecies that used to be the province of the Royal Court's seer."

"I noticed. But if he's irrational won't that make reasoning with him more difficult?"

"Not at all. He's already convinced he's destined to be a god. The year we are arriving in has been particularly promising for prophesy signs."

Leto smiled, amused despite herself. "So you'll be playing the messenger from the gods?"

"Yes. Now when we arrive, I shall need you at the console. The controls are simple enough, but there can be no mistakes."

** -+-+-**

The Royal Court of Ceros was dark blue lit with silver and bustling with well-dressed dignitaries and stuffed bureaucrats. On his throne Peron listened, bored, to the appeal from the workers' representative.

"Enough! That's quite enough." He smiled, spread his hands. "I have been utterly convinced, I assure you. Chancellor!"

"Majesty?" Casta stepped forward, elegant and wearing her formal robes.

"Are my plans for the feeding of these humble workers ready?"

Casta looked at the ground, tried to ignore the wave of nausea that came over her. "They are, Majesty."

"Excellent!" Peron jumped to his feet, flung a friendly arm around the worker. "You'll be first to see the new plans, I think." He waved a guard over and had him escort the representative from the court. None but the Chancellor understood what was to happen to him.

Peron was about to call the next order of business when a great roar echoed across the court. He scowled, slammed a fist into the arm of his throne. "What is that?" he demanded.

The murmurs of the Court brought him no answers.

"Look!" said the Chancellor pointing at the empty space in the centre of the room. Peron blinked; it was no longer empty. A slim silver column was in its place. A door swung open and a stranger stepped out.

Peron felt a thrill of delight; he knew what this was, why he was here, still he would ask. He had to be sure. "Who are you?" he said imperiously.

The stranger bowed. "I come to speak on behalf of the Pantheon. I come to speak to Your Majesty concerning his most sacred destiny. I am the Master."

Peron ignored the whisperings that echoed through the room. "Have you proof of this?" He hardly dare breath.

The Master bowed again and waved a hand at the Seal of the Royal House, hanging above the throne. In the top segment, protected by the same force fields that could shield the throne, was the third artefact and the greatest treasure of Ceros. The artefact glowed a moment then flew from the seal, through the air and straight into the Master's hand.

"I bring the lost pieces of the machine with me."

"Then you will construct it? The Godmaker? It can be done?"

"Yes, Majesty."

Peron fell back in his throne, grinning. "Chancellor, give our most honoured guest quarters, food, wine, whatever he wants. And clear the laboratories." He turned back to the Master. "The resources of Ceros are at your disposal."


	2. Chapter 2

Leto finished the scan of the guest quarters and found no electronic surveillance. She glanced at the Master, who seemed quite content to spend the rest of the afternoon sampling whatever tribute was sent to him. It wasn't to her taste at all, but she wasn't going to admit that she missed Earth food. 

"So he really does think that you'll make him a god?"

"Oh yes. Perfectly convinced. But then it's an old delusion for him, having reality match his madness for once is probably quite a relief."

"And are you going to make him a god?"

He gave her a long look, but she held his gaze. "You know something about the artefact. Something I didn't tell you. What did you find out?" His eyes felt as though they were burning into her mind, and Leto was afraid that she would be unable to look away if she tried. "What did the Doctor tell you?"

She felt her mouth go dry. "Please, don't."

"Answer me."

Leto stopped fighting, and said, "I saw the symbols on the artefact. I showed them to him. He understood them: kingmaker."

He looked away from her. "Typical. He can't even complete a simple translation without some elementary error."

"God, not king then."

"Yes," confirmed the Master. He stood up and took two short steps towards her. She turned her head away, but he caught her chin with his hand and forced her to look up at him. Her eyes were steady, but he could see her fighting behind them to remain calm. "So you assisted my enemy?"

"I thought I was going to be trapped on Earth." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"And you were afraid?"

"Yes."

"Are you afraid now?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"If I give you my word I will allow no harm to come to you, will you trust that?" He waited, but she did not trust herself to answer. "I've never lied to you, Leto."

After a moment, she said, "I know. And I know that the only reason I'm still alive is because I'm useful to you."

"On your late lamented homeworld, perhaps. But, as I recall, if I hadn't taken you away, you would have flung yourself from the fifth floor of the Senate."

"That wasn't altruism; I had little choice but to go with you."

"But I did give you that choice." He let her go then, turned away to face the window. "You'd better leave. The Chancellor seemed less than pleased at our arrival and I would like to know how much support she carries in the Court."

Leto left without saying another word, and he heard the door click shut behind her.

-+-

Chancellor Casta found herself trapped in a dilemma.

There was no way that she could act against the King's new favourite with inciting his wrath, but the very presence of one who said he could fulfil Peron's mad ambitions was a threat to her and could destabilise everything that she had worked for. The Cerons were a fickle people and such an unambiguous sign of prophesy being fulfilled would sow doubts among even her most ardent supporters.

She could see no clear path ahead, and was frustrated that her best option was still to do nothing and see how this thing played out.

So caught up in her thoughts, Casta almost missed the faint rumble in the walls; a sound so very similar to one she had heard only a few hours ago.

She stopped and whirled around, racing through the corridors, following the sound as it became louder.

It stopped suddenly, and she was afraid she would never be able to find it, but her fears flew when she reached the central stairway of the east wing and saw the incongruous blue box sitting at their summit.

She punched her comm bracelet. "This is the Chancellor. I require a detachment at my current location immediately." She wasn't armed, but still she approached the box exercising as much caution as she was able.

The door opened and two people stepped out. Both strangers: a middle-aged man and a young woman.

"Hello," said the man, greeting her quite casually.

Casta scowled. "Another messenger from the gods, I assume?"

He looked at his companion - she shrugged - then back at Casta. "I'm sorry, you seem to have me mistaken for someone else. I'm the Doctor and this is Jo Grant."

"I am Chancellor Casta III, the people's representative in the Royal Court of Ceros." His expression didn't change. She sighed, then said, "And what do you want here, Doctor?"

"Ah, now that might be a little difficult to explain. You see, I'm here about an artefact; stolen by a criminal from another world and, well, brought here."

Casta nodded. "I'm quite familiar with interstellar flight, thank you." She spoke curtly, but her hopes were soaring. "Another arrived today, in a manner very similar to you, claiming he spoke for our gods."

"Did he indeed?"

"So you know him?"

"Yes, madam, I'm afraid that I do."

"He is a criminal?" The Doctor nodded. "And you are authorised to arrest him?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Casta closed her eyes, tried not to show her relief. Behind her she heard the Guard arrive, but waved them back before they could threaten these new arrivals. She moved closer to them, spoke in a low voice so only they could here. "Doctor, my people are ruled by a mad man. They are suffering and they are dying but I can do little to help them; the King's authority is absolute." She dropped her voice further. "There is a movement against him, but it is in a most precarious situation. The arrival of this...this one who claims to speak for the Pantheon has frightened many, made them doubt in the King's madness. Please, Doctor, will you help us?"

He frowned, his expression serious. "I don't know if I can."

"To take this Master from us would be enough." Casta was disgusted with her tone, almost pleading, but she could not let this chance slip away. "Surely that is amenable to you?"

The Doctor nodded. "It is, madam."

"Then I will give you my countenance in the palace, Doctor. But go carefully; the king has his spies."

-+-

Below stairs was a much warmer atmosphere; talk was less guarded and people freer with their opinions. With the palace's population being so high, it was easy enough for Leto to slip in without attracting too much attention.

She passed through long undecorated corridors, well-lit but grey; round the stuffy kitchens, with their heavy spice scents, and through the vegetable gardens running along the lower levels outside before making her way back to the upper floors.

These were not the corridors of power, but this was where much of the work was done and where the information made it from one corner of the palace to another. It was a familiar pattern and the unofficial channels of information in her Senate had been much the same.

It was, she discovered, not the simple despotism she had assumed, and none she met felt entirely content with the King's rule. Still it wouldn't matter to the Master one way or the other who held the most support, so long as Peron could maintain his hold on power for the duration of their stay. She had felt the word Godmaker echo through the rooms, and resisted examining those thoughts further.

As Leto neared the guest quarters, she sensed the guards approaching before she saw them and melted into the wall, casting her eyes to the ground until they had passed.

But as they drew level a familiar voice engaged in conversation caused her to glance up: the Doctor, and Jo Grant.

She wasn't sure if either of them noticed her - she was clothed in the native dress and they seemed to be in a hurry - but as soon as they were out of sight she sped away to her own quarters, not looking forward to the Master's reaction when she told him who had arrived.


	3. Chapter 3

When she found the Master's quarters empty, Leto made her way up to the labs.

Before arriving on Ceros she had studied detailed maps of the palace's grounds. The Master had been meticulous in his preparations and was pleased to find that she could memorise a map as easily as she memorised a speech for the Senate.

The main corridors could be treacherous for one who had every appearance of being a servant and so Leto took to the supposedly secret routes between the walls. They were meant for the royal family and their closest advisors, but given how few fell into that category and that she could easily detect anyone's approach long before she was seen, she saw no reason not to make use of them.

She paused at the entrance to the main laboratory, but could sense no-one within. She pushed the door open and slipped inside.

"Careful, Leto, the power units are live and they aren't grounded." The Master was working at the far end of the lab, his eyes covered by a mask and surrounded by dozen of leads and what she assumed to be the aforementioned power units.

She waited, and after a few minutes he put down his tools and stripped off the mask and heavy gloves he was wearing. "Well?"

"Casta's more discontent than the reports suggested; she's conducting something of an underground resistance, hoping to turn it into a full blown revolution."

"How very ambitious of her. Perhaps I erred in my selection. No matter; if Peron's unaware of the situation her plans cannot be close to completion."

"And there's something else. The Doctor: he's here. I saw him and Jo Grant in the guest wing."

The Master's reaction was not what she expected: he smiled, pleased. "Excellent. Well, I see no harm in letting him stumble around until he gets himself into trouble."

Leto shook her head. "This is really is just some game to you, isn't it?" she said, not quite managing to hide her irritation.

"Do you know what this is, Leto? What it will do?" He pointed at the apparatus on the bench where he had been working.

She looked; she would not give a flippant answer. "It's a mind-machine interface: it connects an organic mind to an artificial component; one thinks and the thoughts pass through into the synapses of the machine."

She glanced at the Master, saw him watching her, expecting something more. "The artefacts, they're the component," she said. "And they must need an enormous amount of power to function."

"They have been lying dormant some considerable time. Their power would naturally dissipate."

"But what are they _for_?"

"Ah, the question you have studiously avoided asking for quite some time." He paused. "Do you want to know, Leto?"

She swallowed, recognising that tone. She had heard it before when she first met him, when he offered his help to her people and when he had invited her to leave her world with him. Temptation, and again she found that she was unable to resist accepting. "Yes," she said. "I want to know."

"My people," and though Leto could not feel the hate in that word, she could hear it quite clearly, "my people once preferred to interact with the universe rather than rot amongst their fading discoveries. They were on the verge of understanding the nature of the universe itself and they created many objects that could be used to manipulate it at the most fundamental levels."

Leto nodded. "So the artefact is one of these objects. But why separate them? Why the elaborate security?"

"Oh, don't be naïve, Leto. When they were dispersed, it had to be made certain that only one who truly understood their power could unite them; could restore them to their true form."

"And then what?"

"You are familiar with parallel dimension theory?"

"I've heard of it," said Leto, trying to remember her schooling in physics.

"Within existence," continued the Master, "are an infinite number of dimensions. Some varying only slightly from our own, others wholly alien to our comprehension. Now while it takes relatively little energy and skill to reach a near-normal dimension, the energy patterns and safe route equations required for most are incomprehensible to the humanoid brain."

"So these artefacts allow interdimensional travel?"

The Master shook his head. "Not quite. No, the information relating to them is a little more specific than that. The Time Lord who created them allowed them to contain only one safe route; a route to a place so very different from our universe that it can change the nature of those who touch it. Transform the sentience into a power capable of manipulating energy and matter on a universal scale."

"It makes gods," she said flatly.

"Precisely, my dear. And you can see that this is no simple game. Now if you excuse me, I still have a great deal of work to do.

-+-

Leto had learned enough basic electronics from the Master to be able to secure the power units. They were an economical sort of technology: small, light and capable of storing a great deal of energy, though nowhere near enough to power the artefacts. These were meant merely to compensate for any minor disruptions in the main power flow, and that would be taken directly from the planetary grid.

It was mid afternoon when the door burst open and a half-dozen guards marched in followed by Peron himself. He was in an exuberant mood, practically skipping in a way that made Leto wish she had a pistol handy: if one was to lead, then one should at least exercise a little decorum. Even if one was mad.

She kept her eyes down and focussed on sealing the connections. She desperately wished the she could leave the room, but, of course, that was now impossible unless Peron dismissed her. His mind, even though she was not focussing on it, was a dizzying combination of waves and sharp, twisted spikes. Idly, she wondered what the penalty for throwing up in the presence of the king was.

"Beautiful," declared Peron, looking at the assembled apparatus. "Stunning. Find me a painter at once! No, no, not now. Of course not. We cannot disturb your work, but later, oh yes. There must be paintings made of this great moment."

Leto studied the Master carefully, but he hid his irritation well and bowed to Peron with all the sincerity needed to convince the king of his allegiance. "Majesty, we are honoured by your presence, but beg you to keep your distance. Your mortal self is still vulnerable and the apparatus is not yet safe."

"Of course, of course." Peron turned away on his heel, cloak whirling behind him and Leto hoped he might choose to leave. Instead she felt that mad mind draw closer to her. "And what is this?"

Leto did not meet his eyes but stood and bowed. "My name is Leto, Your Majesty." It was easier now, to call herself that and to forget her family name.

"Ah, yes, of course. And are you a good servant, Leto? Are you loyal to your master?"

She pushed down any twinge of anger at the questions. "Yes, Majesty." Holding no illusions about her situation was one thing; articulating them to a stranger, on the other hand, was not pleasant. Still Peron seemed satisfied and she was relieved that he had no more questions for her.

"Now, now, yes! That is why I came, of course!" He waved at the closest guard. "Bring them in, bring them in!" He turned to the Master. "A gift for you, noble messenger. A gift for your good works in my name."

The door opened again and the Doctor and Jo were escorted in, hands bound and a guard with his weapon drawn on either side of them. "We found them in our palace. Nominally with our dear treacherous Chancellor's consent, but it was soon made clear what their true purpose was. To cast me down! To revolt!" He calmed quite suddenly, then said, "But then, I am merciful and since they are known to you I thought it would be best to leave their fate in your hands. So, tell me, what should I do with them?"

The Master was clearly delighted, and took his time in replying, savouring the moment. "If it pleases Your Majesty, I would very much like to be the one to dispose of these heathen."

"Wonderful," said Peron. "Perfect. It shall be so. But not yet, no, no, I shall require a sacrifice for my ascension, and what better gift to the Pantheon than these two blasphemers?"

"As you wish, Majesty."

"Seal them in an isoward," ordered Peron. He glanced at the Master. "You are not using them, are you?"

"No, Majesty."

"Good, good. Number three, if you please, Captain. Number three."

Leto felt herself pale as she watched the guards shut them in one of the units. Seven, all along the far side of the main laboratory, designed for testing, curing, a makeshift hospital if there was a crisis in the palace. Still she had been able to ignore them until now.

Determinedly, she turned back to her work, not even noticing when the king and his guards left.

-+-

The isowards was sealed off from the main laboratory and the Master had shut down the intercom and closed the window but wasn't about to trust that the Doctor would sit still and not interfere. He left Leto to set up the scanner and within a few minutes the inside of the cell was shown on one of the lab's monitors.

Then it was only a matter of time before the Master could no longer resist taunting his enemy. If he merely wanted him dead, he could have done it before now, killed him a thousand times. But it was more than that, and Leto was beginning to understand that the Master needed something from the Doctor. And whatever it was worth infinitely more than just his death.

She didn't need to hear any of these arguments, but found herself without an excuse to leave. Instead she looked at Jo, and was unnerved to find that the human was looking back at her.

"...could destroy the whole of creation!" The Doctor. Hyperbole. The Master might crave power but Leto did not believe he craved destruction for its own sake. In revenge, certainly; for knowledge, perhaps, but never simply to destroy. Universal armageddon was as appealing to him as any other sane sentient.

"...gained! No more death, no suffering, no one would ever have to know pain again."

"And no choices for anyone; a far greater evil than any suffering one might endure."

"What would you know of suffering, Doctor? What have you lost?"

She didn't hear the answer, but a few moments later, Leto noticed their eyes turn to her, and she suddenly felt like a specimen under a microscope. "Is this what you want, Leto? A universe of no choice; no freedom?" The Doctor was looking at her, pleading, compassionate.

She returned his stare and spoke quite calmly: "What I want is irrelevant."

The Master turned back to the Doctor, his eyes narrowing. "Hardly the best person to appeal to, Doctor. With the power of the artefacts I can restore her world, her people. No-one need ever have died."

The Doctor shook his head. "Everything has its time. That's part of life, part of what living is." He looked at me again. "Leto, if you let this happen countless worlds will be enslaved, billions upon billions of people whose lives will become meaningless."

The Master glanced at her, noted her discomfort. "Nobody need die, Leto. Nobody. This machine has the power to bring life, to bring back your daughter."

Leto paled, grasped the edge of the bench to stop her hands shaking. She could not look at him, but managed to say, "I said nothing of her to you." He did not reply. She nodded, stood up, managed to compose herself. "It was no accident that it was my aide that found you. The time you chose to arrive; the technology you offered. Every detail planned."

"Yes," he admitted.

"I may have been a politician, but I have been so very naïve." She glanced at the Doctor. "But it was still my choice and your words change nothing, Doctor."

She left the room then, sick of listening to the Time Lords argue and desperate to find something on this planet that vaguely resembled tea. Small comforts, she thought, small comforts. 


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take long for Leto to realise that something was wrong. In the labs physical distance and barriers, and the fact that she had been concentrating on her work kept the outside world quiet. But she could feel the change now, and it was violent enough to worry her.

She practically ran back towards the laboratory but stopped short when she heard gunfire. Close. Her breath caught in her throat and she pressed herself back against the wall. They were coming this way.

Another burst of gunfire and she felt the minds flick out.

She checked for anyone else approaching her, but finding it quiet made her way along the corridor until she reached the passage where she had heard the fighting. A little way down, five or six metres, were two of the Palace Guard, sprawled on the floor and quite dead.

Leto approached them cautiously, searched the bodies and took a pistol and knife from one. Then she cut the comms bracelet from the other; if the security code could be cracked then she could find out what was going on.

She ran back to the laboratory, but met no-one else on her way there. Inside, the Master was still working, though to Leto's unskilled eye the work looked almost complete.

"Something's happened," she said.

"Oh?" He didn't look up and the tone was dangerously mild.

"There was gunfire on the floor above. Two of the Palace Guard shot dead. And the palace is quiet."

"You seemed to have acquired some equipment." He was looking at the pistol, then his eyes fell on the comm bracelet. "Give me that."

He examined the bracelet and then quickly made some adjustments to the control before holding it to his ear. After a moment he frowned. "It seems you're right. Casta has taken a somewhat direct route to achieve her goals, no doubt the Doctor's influence; there's a civilian revolt across the city. The Guard have been called out to deal with them."

"But I saw men shot in the palace."

"I doubt that Peron is much of a general. He'll have left the palace exposed." He sighed and seemed to come to a decision. "All right, Leto, there isn't much left to do here. Lock the doors and check the power distribution. Even with this disruption I should still be able to get enough power from the main grid." He glanced at the Doctor through the window. "And when you're finished, bring them out here."

The laboratory was easily sealed, indeed it was designed so it could be cut off quite easily from the rest of the building. Even with explosives, it would take some time for any rebels to get through the main doors.

Leto turned to the wall entrance that led through the passageways between the halls, wondering what arrangements had been made for sealing that, when a figure burst through the panel and into the lab. He was in such a rush that he almost tripped, but in a remarkable demonstration of agility managed to regain his footing.

The Master turned to the new arrival. "Ah, King Peron, and what, may I ask, is the rush?"

"It is finished, is it not? It must be finished!"

"I'm afraid not. There are a few more adjustments to make," said the Master, raising an eyebrow.

"I will cast you down! I must ascend at once, this cannot wait." He glanced over his shoulder. Eyes widening at the sight of the open wall panel. "They have betrayed me. I have been betrayed!"

The Master cocked his head to one side. "Yes, I'm afraid you have. Leto?" He spoke quietly enough for Peron not to pay attention, not until Leto lifted the pistol and aimed it at his chest.

But before he could do anything, she shot him.

"Well, that takes care of that," said the Master. "Is there a way to seal that panel?"

"Not that I know of. But given how paranoid Peron was I'm not sure anyone else in the palace knows about those passages."

"Well, do keep an eye on it and feel free to let me know if a band of rebels are charging towards us. I've almost finished here."

In the next few minutes Leto felt no less than three explosions rock through the building. She closed her eyes and tried to find out how far away these rebels were; inside the palace, certainly and somewhere in this wing, but with the sprawling building as big as a town that didn't necessarily mean they were in immediate danger.

Her eyes flew open. "They're close. On the central stairway for this wing."

"Are they coming here?" snapped the Master.

"I don't know. But Casta, she knows about this. Surely she'll wish to stop it?"

"Get them out here." He stabbed at the Doctor with one finger.

Leto deactivated the seals on the isoward and, with her pistol, invited the Doctor and Jo to join her in the main laboratory. As the Doctor passed her, he said, "Even if he does succeed, what do you think will happen to you?"

"You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I care," she said, almost under her breath.

"Well, Doctor, it seems it is finally time to say goodbye." The Master nodded to Leto to switch on the power, watched the dial begin to tick up. "What? Nothing to say? No last minute appeals filled with your usual sentimental nonsense."

The Doctor gave him a stony stare. "What would be the point? You never listen."

The Master clapped his hands. "Ah, finally you learn."

"They're here," said Leto, with a glance at the doors.

"How long?" asked the Master.

Leto checked the power readings. "Forty-five seconds." She glanced at the artefacts, frowning as she felt _something_ at the back of her mind. "Are they alive?"

"In a manner of speaking. The technology is partly organic."

Leto pressed one hand to her temple. "I can feel them. It..."

She cried out, clutching her head in her hands; the whine of power increased and Leto fell to the floor and did not move. The Master scooped up her pistol and swung it around to the Doctor before he could move.

"I don't think so, Doctor."

"Is she alive?"

"Irrelevant. In a matter of moments it will be my choice who lives and who dies. And I can assure you that you will be quite dead." He held the gun steady, watching them as he backed away towards the neural network. "Goodbye, Doctor."

So intent was the Master on making sure the Doctor did nothing foolish at the last moment that he did not notice Peron move. "I am king," he murmured, though no-one heard. He clawed the ground, then manage to steady himself and stood up shakily. "Usurper!" he cried. "It is my destiny!"

He threw himself at the Master, knocking him to one side and leapt into the machine, into the neural net.

The power reached critical. The lights dimmed as the artefacts took all the energy they needed from the grid.

Dark.

Then a blinding flash of light.

And the sound of gunfire just outside the main doors. A shout to open up.

The Master stood up, gun still in hand, to see the Doctor crouched over the neural network. "Get away from there."

The Doctor put up his hands and stepped back. "Looks like you had a lucky escape." His eyes fell on what now occupied the space where Peron had stood: a small stone statuette, the likeness to Peron was startling.

"No." The Master shook his head. "Impossible."

"The artefacts were a trap. A trap to catch the most intelligent and dangerous of criminals. And you fell right into it." The smugness in the Doctor's voice was unmistakeable.

"Well, Doctor, it seems you have deprived me of my prize, but I still have you. And I still intend to kill you." His threat was punctuated by another burst of gunfire from outside the doors.

"Looks like you've run out of time. You kill me and there won't be anybody to stop Casta's people from tearing you apart."

"I still have time to pull the trigger and escape."

"And what about Leto? If I'm dead then so is she."

The Master gritted his teeth and bit back the retort on his tongue. He looked down at her: still, but breathing. There was no way he could escape quickly enough with her when she was unconscious.

There would be, he considered, many more opportunities to kill the Doctor - and this would hardly be the most satisfying moment for that particular pleasure - but good servants were so very hard to find. 


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Notes: _

_If you've read this far, thank you. I hope it's been an entertaining read. Any comments, criticisms or feedback are, of course, gratefully appreciated. _

Leto recognised the medical bay of the Master's TARDIS quickly enough, but as all her limbs seemed to be intact and there were no wires or tubes extending from her body, she assumed it was safe to move despite the pounding in her head. She dressed quickly and quietly, before making her way to the console room.

The walk took longer than she expected as her limbs started to ache and she was convinced someone was now chipping away at the inside of her skull. "I feel like the Senate collapsed on top of me," she said as she stepped through the doorway.

"If you wish to apply the metaphor to psychokinetic energy, then it is not inappropriate." The Master looked up from the console, finished checking co-ordinates. "You'll feel better in a few days."

"Might I ask what happened?"

The Master smiled. "Of course. There was a miscommunication of information concerning the artefacts."

Leto raised an eyebrow, showing as much scepticism as she dared. "They didn't do what you expected?"

"Indeed not. And it seems I must thank you, for not killing Peron. A fortuitous mistake on your part and one that saved me a great deal of...inconvenience."

She shrugged. "I didn't mean to leave him alive. I wasn't familiar with the weapon."

"No matter, my dear. Now we have other things to attend to."

"Is the TARDIS in flight?"

"It was. We have, in fact, just landed. I think you might be interested in our destination." He touched the scanner control.

Leto took a step towards the monitor. "But that's my world. That's the capital."

"Indeed. We have materialised on the south slope of one of the mountains overlooking the city."

She looked at him, her eyes steady. "I don't understand."

The Master said nothing, but opened the doors of his ship and turned to Leto. He touched her hand with his gloved one, before clasping her fingers in his and leading her outside.

"The plague," she murmured, but that did not stop her taking deep breaths of the air. There was a chemical sting in the back of her throat and she couldn't help but cough.

"It won't affect you. You were right, there was, is, a small proportion of the population immune to its effects." She started, made to pull her hand away, but he caught her. "I didn't know until I treated your injury from the artefact. Once I discovered that I checked the situation here."

"And?"

"And there are survivors."

"How many?"

"On the planet? Forty, perhaps forty-five thousand."

Leto closed her eyes. "Out of over three billion."

The Master continued as though she had not spoken, "But there is no leadership, no real organisation. The upper echelons of society were finished by the plague."

She gave a soft snort. "As I recall quite a few were shot."

"The planet's information network is inaccessible; the secure government buildings, the remaining military resources: these things cannot be used by the survivors. They lack knowledge of security clearances and locations. They do not know how to function without your Senate, and they have slipped back to virtual barbarism."

"A wise prince," Leto began to recite, "will seek means by which his people will always and in every possible condition have need of his government." She met the Master's eyes. "And then they will always be faithful to him."

"I am familiar with the text."

"I imagined you would be." She let her eyes rest on the smouldering city, let them follow an unfamiliar skyline. Could there really be people still alive down there? She was almost afraid to let her mind reach out, try to sense the life that might be fighting for survival in there. "I gave you my oath."

"And now I am letting you go. You are absolved."

She shook her head. "But why?"

The Master gave a slight shrug. "As I believe I told you before: I can always make use of a grateful population. If I required something from the planet, you would not deny it to me."

"They would not be grateful if they knew who you were."

"Then I shall rely on your discretion."

"So this isn't goodbye?"

The Master placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "My dear Senator, one might almost think you were growing sentimental." Before she could reply, he gently lifted her chin and kissed her on the lips.

He pulled away, and lifted his hand to touch her cheek with his fingers. "Goodbye, Leto."

She said nothing as he turned on his heel and strode back to the TARDIS, shutting the door firmly behind him.

The ship dematerialised; the sound echoed across the mountainside.

Leto stood, staring at the place where it had landed for several seconds, before turning around and making her way down towards the city.


End file.
